As Fate Would Have It
by Lavellia
Summary: [AU] [AsuCaga] Really, once should have been enough. Twice, you could be forgiven. Three times, however, was just getting ridiculous. Cagalli really needed to stop dialing the wrong freakin' number. [collection of silly drabbles and ramblings] [4/?]
1. Chapter 1

**As Fate Would Have It**

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Disclaimer: Gundam SEED and Gundam SEED Destiny are not my property; I do not own them or anything affiliated with the series.

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 **Author's Note:** This originally started off as an one-shot, but I kept thinking up silly ideas related to the original chapter so this has now turned into a collection of drabbles, all within the same universe. No real storyline, just bits and pieces of their relationship. c:

* * *

"Hello?" Cagalli froze in horror at the voice that came through her phone. Instead of the melodic and soft voice of Lacus Clyne that she had been expecting, a deeper, baritone voice greeted her instead. The thought of Lacus with a manly voice was not a very reassuring one either.

' _Oh crap._ ' She quickly hung up the phone, face warm enough to fry an egg from her silly mistake. Taking a quick glance at the number she had just accidentally dialed and hung up on, she realized her error; a 2 instead of the 5 and a 9 instead of the 3 of her friend's number.

' _Cagalli Hibiki_ ', she thought to herself, ' _you are an idiot_ '. She didn't even say sorry! However, she couldn't help but think about the man's voice that she had heard. It was smooth, those two syllables clear and articulate. There was confidence behind every consonant and vowel, and she wondered what the person behind that voice looked like.

She shook her head, feeling ridiculous for thinking about such things. The blonde redialed her friend's number, jabbing furiously at the 5 and 3 she had missed earlier.

* * *

 **2 WEEKS LATER**

She was in a rush and desperately needed to get a hold of her brother, but that moron was refusing to pick his darn phone up. She dialed a certain pink-haired princess' number instead, knowing that the chances that Lacus knew where that prick was were pretty close to 100%.

As soon as she heard the _click_ , she immediately babbled, "Hey do you know where Kira is? That asshole isn't picking up and I reall _y_ need his help, I forgot my keys at home and I _really_ need a ride to the doc—"

"Um, who is this?"

 _That_ voice again. She stifled her groan of embarrassment and this time, managed to squeak out a hurried apology before hanging up. She mentally slapped herself, grumbling something about the failures of modern technology.

' _He has a really nice voice though,_ ' she stared down at her phone, even more curious about the poor person she kept misdialing.

Her phone suddenly rang, startling her out her thoughts. Noting the caller ID, she picked up and growled, "Kira. Pick me up at the Justice Building. Now."

* * *

 **1 WEEK AFTER INCIDENT #2**

By this point, usually twice is enough… or, so she thought.

With Kira and Lacus' wedding coming up so soon, and being the maid of honor, it required a lot of preparation on her part. It also didn't help that Kira was her _younger_ twin, so obviously she was responsible for this and that and all the things. Right now, she needed to pick her bridesmaid dress up—except she conveniently forgot the location of the bridal shop.

She quickly typed out Lacus' number, once again missed two numbers, and texted:

"Hey, where's that bridal store again? I forgot to copy it down before I left."

She waited a few minutes before a _ting_ notified her of a response. She glanced down, dread slowly overcoming her cheerful mood.

" _You seem to have a habit of forgetting things. I'm afraid I can't tell you where that bridal store is, though."_

Her frustrated scream alarmed the poor passersby around her.

Apparently, twice was not enough.

* * *

 **4 DAYS AFTER INCIDENT #3**

At this point, any normal person would just put Lacus' number on speed dial or something, but unfortunately, such conveniences were lost on a certain blonde.

The wedding was a mere three days away, now. Miriallia had asked to crash at her place, which she enthusiastically consented to. That led to her buying groceries to last for the next couple of days. It wouldn't do for the maid of honour and one of the bridesmaids to resort to eating out the last few days before the wedding.

She pursed her lips, wondering if she should maybe invite Lacus over for dinner. Soon, the pink-haired lady would be off on her honeymoon with her brother; maybe it was time to monopolize her before she flew off.

And once again, she misdialed.

Fate was really quite cruel to her.

"Hey," she greeted as soon as the connecting click sounded. Patience was definitely not one of her virtues. "Do you want to join Miri and I for dinner tonight at my place? Since you'll be off all lovey-dovey with Kira in a couple of days, you should spend some time with us girls!"

There was a moment's pause. "Well, I wouldn't mind, except I don't plan on being lovey-dovey with Kira, ever, nor am I a girl, so I'm guessing this invitation isn't for me, is it?"

She let out a terrified squawk. "Um… sorry. Wrong number."

She hung up quickly, and headed straight for the meat aisle, too embarrassed to try and give it another go lest Fate decide three times was simply not enough.

* * *

 **THE DAY OF THE WEDDING**

With only two hours before the wedding, Cagalli was surprised that the bride and groom hadn't showed up yet. Wasn't it customary for them to be here like, at least four hours ahead? The rehearsal yesterday had gone as planned, although the best man had been unable to attend (' _really?'_ Cagalli had thought, frowning as Kira told her the news, ' _he can't even spare a couple hours to attend this rehearsal? What if he screws it up?'_ ).

She frowned at the clock on the wall, deciding it'd probably be best if she checked up on the bride. You know, just making sure she didn't get cold feet or anything.

Fate must have been really desperate, or something, as Shiho and Yzak suddenly came in as she punched the numbers in, distracting her for a second. Quickly pressing ' _call_ ', she waited… and waited… and waited… for quite a few rings.

After what seemed an eternity, she finally heard that click she had been waiting for. "Where the heck are you? The wedding is in two hours!"

"Calm down, I'm here, I'm here—"

Wait.

That was _his_ voice.

Wait.

Why did he respond like that—

Wait.

Why did she just hear that in person, behind her?

She spun around, eyes widening as they fell upon a blue-haired man, dressed in a very flattering black tuxedo. He had his phone wedged between his shoulder and head, and he stared right at her with beautifully emerald green eyes.

Cagalli gaped at him for a moment as he made his way towards her.

"I'm guessing the bride and groom are yet to show?" _That_ voice. The one that had been haunting her for the past several weeks.

At this point, Fate would probably sigh with relief. _Finally._

"W-who the hell are you?"

He raised an eyebrow, clearly amused by the situation, to her dismay. "I'm the guy you apparently can't stop calling."

She flushed. "I got _that_ much, thank you very much. I mean, what the hell are you doing _here_?"

He gave her a dazzling smile. "My name's Athrun Zala, I'm Kira's best man."

Her mouth dropped further towards the floor.

"And you are…?"

He was really too handsome. Even though she wanted to slap him for all the embarrassment she had suffered because of him, there was no resisting that charming smile.

"Cagalli Hibiki," she finally replied, a small smile of her own tugging at her lips. "Maid of honour, and Kira's sister."

Athrun offered a hand, which she found herself taking. "Well, _Cagalli_ ," he murmured, his face suddenly much closer to hers, his voice dropping several tones lower. She shivered at the way he said her name, so purposefully and – dare she say it – seductively. "Let us get this wedding thing over with, shall we?"

Nope. She was not disappointed at all. She was definitely not expecting something along the lines of ' _let's get a room and forget this damn wedding because I've been waiting far too long for this_ '.

Not at all. She just stomped on his foot and stormed off because her moron of a brother and his wife-to-be were still not here, and that was definitely _his_ fault. That's all.

* * *

She caught the bouquet, much to her chagrin, and she tried very hard not to punch Athrun when he leaned in, whispering, "So, did you ever find that bridal store? Looks like we'll have to pay them a visit again soon."

Well, she tried not to anyways.

He sported the bruise that would last for the next several days like a champ, though.

* * *

 **8 MONTHS LATER**

For the life of her, she couldn't remember if she had to take Lacus to the OB/GYN today, or if it was tomorrow. Cagalli had been incredibly excited by the fact she was going to be an aunt soon, and was doing her best to be supportive. She whipped out her phone and quickly dialed a number while still staring at her work laptop.

"Hello, Lacus? I can't remember, when are you going to the OB/GYN again?"

"It's tomorrow, and seriously, Cagalli? Again?"

She fought back a laugh. "Sorry, Athrun."

"It's been eight months," he sounded like he was pouting, although she knew he would deny it rather grumpily.

She giggled. "Well, I said sorry!" Her gaze fell on the picture of them sitting on her desk, radiant smiles on both their faces, each of them holding their phones in one hand. She couldn't help it as her grin widened. "And besides, maybe I did that on purpose this time."

Fate rolled its eyes. Yeah, right.

* * *

I'm sure this idea has been used before, but I really just wanted to write something cute because 'More Than Anything' is draining me with all the drama. XD

Thank you for reading! Let me know what you think?

 **Lavellia.**


	2. Chapter 2

**As Fate Would Have It**

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Disclaimer: Gundam SEED and Gundam SEED Destiny do not belong to me, nor am I affiliated with the series/producers.

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The first time it happened, Athrun had brushed it off, although he cursed at himself silently for not remembering to put his phone on silent. Yzak raised an eyebrow at him, clearly not amused.

"Hello?" Ignoring the glare that was being aimed his way, he waited for a response.

The only one he got was the 'call ended' tone. He stared at his phone in surprise. The number was unfamiliar to him.

"Prank call?" The platinum white-haired man asked smugly, not at all concerned about hiding his all-knowing smirk.

Putting his phone away, he muttered threateningly, "Don't forget I know what happened between you and Shiho, Yzak."

The call was soon forgotten as he admired the shade of red that was currently radiating from his friend's face as Yzak spluttered and shouted obscenities.

* * *

The next time it happened, he was with Kira.

Which made the approaching situation all the more awkward.

And how could he keep forgetting to put his phone on silent?

Giving the brunette an apologetic smile, he turned away as he picked up the phone. Before he could even say a word, however, an unfamiliar voice came through the phone.

" _Hey do you know where Kira is? That asshole isn't picking up and I really need his help, I forgot my keys at home and I really need a ride to the doc—"_

' _How does_ _he_ _know I'm with Kira?_ ' He spared a quick glance at his phone. The same number from the incident with Yzak, he realized, that had happened two weeks ago. ' _Wrong number? Again?_ '

"Um, who is this?" He asked, shooting a quick glance at the brunette, who had taken out his own phone and was staring down in horror.

There was a muffled sound from the other side and a quick, " _sorry!_ " before he was greeted with an ending beep. He turned around to look at his friend, who had turned quite pale.

"What's wrong?" Athrun asked, rather concerned at how white his usually slightly-tanned friend was.

"My sister. Uh. I missed seven of her calls. Um."

"You have a sister?" ' _Wait, could that person have been…_ '

Kira ignored him, quickly dialing a number and holding his phone a good ten centimeters away from his ear.

"H-hello?"

The blue-haired man couldn't quite catch the words that came from the other end of the call, but he found his friend looking rather hilariously terrified. Kira nodded once in response, before hanging up, apparently at a loss of words.

"Do you need to be elsewhere?"

"Yes—uh, sorry, Athrun. I'll catch you later?" Athrun nodded in response, watching with amusement as Kira practically ran for his life.

He peered down at his phone, focusing on the number that just couldn't seem to leave him alone. In all honesty, he had thought it was a guy, but how likely was it that _two_ different people were both looking for someone named Kira within the past fifteen minutes?

Athrun decided it wouldn't do to keep leaving the number unnamed. After all, he had the slightest inkling that this wouldn't be the last time.

' _Maybe Kira's Sister'_

* * *

The next and third time, he was stuck in a meeting with Heine and Shinn. Not exactly the best combination, and he found himself fiddling with his phone as the black-haired youth struggled to keep his temper under control.

Suddenly, his phone vibrated. A text from _Maybe Kira's Sister_. Athrun couldn't help but grin.

" _Hey, where's that bridal store again? I forgot to copy it down before I left."_

What were the chances? Of course Kira's sister would be at the wedding, and with the wedding less than two weeks away, she would likely be picking things up for the wedding about now.

Sneaking a glance at his orange-haired coworker, who was clearly trying not to laugh at Shinn's frankly horrible efforts at not screaming his head off, he decided to reply to the text:

"You seem to have a habit of forgetting things. I'm afraid I can't tell you where that bridal store is, though."

She did not deign to respond, but Athrun entertained himself for the rest of the day imagining what her response was.

He then changed her name in his phone to _Maybe Kira's Forgetful Sister_.

* * *

Three days before the wedding, he was trying to reassure Kira that the wedding was going to go perfectly. The idiot was panicking at Athrun about the most trivial things ("What if my socks don't match?" "No one cares, Kira, no one can even see your socks." "What if I put the ring on the wrong finger?" "Lacus wouldn't let that happen." "What if we're short one meal?" "You ordered 200 extra meals just in case, Kira.").

As if saving him from another silly question, his phone rang. Ignoring Kira's new ramble about the forks not matching the knives (' _seriously?_ '), he took a look at the caller ID and felt a smile lift his lips.

Once again, before he could even draw a breath, an avalanche of words came tumbling through. "Hey, do you want to join Miri and I for dinner tonight at my place? Since you'll be off all lovey-dovey with Kira in a couple of days, you should spend some time with us girls!"

He had wondered who this person kept meaning to call, and finally he pieced it together. ' _Lacus_ ', he thought, barely holding back a chuckle.

"Well, I wouldn't mind," he replied honestly, wishing he could see the expression on her face, "except I don't plan on being lovey-dovey with Kira, ever," here the brunette stared at him in shock, "nor am I a girl, so I'm guessing this invitation isn't for me, is it?"

Athrun heard something that faintly resembled a bird before another apology was flung his way. "Um… sorry. Wrong number."

He couldn't help it this time, and burst out laughing, although the ending tone beat him to it. He brushed some tears of mirth away from his face before he finally remembered who he was with.

The husband-to-be had such a look of confusion on his face and Athrun just didn't have the heart to explain it all to him, merely patting him on the back absentmindedly.

This was the second time he had heard her voice, and he found it rather charming. Not as high as Lacus' soprano; instead, it was several tones deeper, perhaps an alto, but just as clear. She sounded strong and so sure of herself (when she thought she had gotten the right number, of course), and Athrun found himself imagining a female Kira when wondering what she looked like.

"Athrun? You have this really weird look on your face."

* * *

When he got home later that day, he double-checked Lacus' number. Yep, they were pretty much identical except for two numbers near the end.

Things made much more sense now, although he wondered why exactly it kept happening at all. Once would have been caution enough, right?

At this point, he was about 101% sure that she had _no_ idea who he was. After all, while he had been lucky (fated?) to have been with Kira that one decisive time, he was fairly certain that she had not been so lucky.

' _Perhaps we're destined for each other,_ ' he mused… before quickly shoving the cheesy and cliché thoughts out of his head.

This was not at _all_ supposed to be cliché or cheesy. Nope. This was _Fate_.

(Still not cheesy.)

Thank goodness he was fairly confident that she was a she.

Never mind the fact that he originally thought she was a guy. That would remain a secret (for the foreseeable future, anyways).

* * *

On the day of the wedding, he woke up late. He sat up straight, his eyes widened as he registered what time it was.

He only had less than three hours before the wedding.

 _And_ he missed the rehearsal last night (blame work).

He jumped out of bed and ran to shower, not even caring that he used shampoo to lather himself instead of body wash. Quickly drying himself and throwing his tux on, he spared his clock another look.

2 hours and 20 minutes before the wedding. It would take him at least 20 minutes before he got there. Throwing a towel on his head, he sped out the door, keys in hand.

Just as he had gotten to the church and was looking for a parking spot, his phone rang. He looked down quickly, wondering if it was Kira waiting to chew his head off.

Nope. It was _Maybe Kira's Forgetful Sister_ _With The Nice Voice_.

He suppressed a grumble. There were no parking spots—oh wait! There was one! Quickly backing into the space (a little too closely to the left next to a car that likely cost twice his salary, but no harm done) while throwing the towel off his head, he grabbed his still ringing phone and fled towards the church.

" _Where the heck are you? The wedding is in two hours!"_

He groaned. "Calm down, I'm here, I'm here," he reassured, finally running into the church.

The first thing he saw was a blonde in a dazzling knee-length green dress. There were casual ruffled frills running down the dress, which only served to highlight her curves. Her hair was artfully tied up in a bun, with braids wrapped around it.

To be clearer, a blonde _with a phone up by her ear._ Athrun knew, even before she turned around, who she was and felt his heart skip a beat.

She had beautiful amber eyes, lips that looked incredibly soft slightly parted in surprise. Her beautiful blonde tresses were carefully brushed to the side.

He couldn't help but take several more steps towards her, ending the phone call that had led him to this gorgeous woman in front of him. She stared at him, speechless.

"I'm guessing the bride and groom are yet to show?" He asked, watching her slowly collect her senses.

"W-who the hell are you?"

' _Feisty_ ,' he thought, chuckling mentally at her crude language, which was such a contrast to her angelic appearance. He couldn't help raising a teasing eyebrow, though. "I'm the guy you apparently can't stop calling."

She really was gorgeous, he thought admiringly, observing the red that graced her cheeks.

"I got _that_ much, thank you very much. I mean, what the hell are you doing _here_?" _That_ voice. So powerful, demanding, yet warm.

Smiling, he introduced himself. "My name's Athrun Zala, I'm Kira's best man."

He decided right there and then that he would never tire of her expressions. Her mouth was about halfway to the floor at this point.

"And you are…?" ' _I can't keep calling her Maybe Kira's Forgetful Sister With The Really Nice Voice_ ,' he supposed.

She continued to just stare at him, which worried him a little. ' _Does she find me creepy? Am I creepy? Wait how am I even being cree—_ '

"Cagalli Hibiki," she said, her jaw finding its way back to her chin and returning his earlier smile at last, although tentatively. "Maid of honour, and Kira's sister."

' _Cagalli_. _'_ Such an elegant yet fitting name.

Before he could even think twice about it, Athrun found himself offering his hand, which she took, much to his surprise. "Well, _Cagalli_ ," he practically drawled, savouring the way her name felt on his tongue and lips. There _may_ have been a hint of sultriness in his voice. "Let us get this wedding thing over with, shall we?"

' _Maybe I was too much,_ ' he thought a few moments later, wincing as he took another step, trying to avoid putting too much weight on his poor left foot, which had been brutally attacked by killer heels.

* * *

The look she had on her face when she noticed his towel-dried hair was magnificent. Athrun didn't even need to look into a mirror to guess that it probably resembled a stack of hay, or a bird's nest, or perhaps the pile of hair accumulated on the floor of a hair salon.

"Sit down," she commanded menacingly. "There is no way I am going to let _your_ hair ruin what might be the happiest day of my brother's life." She was holding a big can of hair product (which seemed to be designed for women) and a comb that was so big and _pink_ that he could have sworn it was a badminton racquet instead.

At this point, he was beginning to doubt if she had any hairstyling skills and was about to protest when she went for it.

Thankfully, Dearka came strolling in moments later to save his life – err, take over.

Although truth be told, despite the several hundred strands of hair he was pretty sure he lost, the feeling of her hands running through his hair (dare he say it, almost _lovingly_ ) was something he yearned to feel again, having sent pleasant shivers down his back. He was rather disappointed that currently, muscular and less delicate hands were making do with the mess on his head instead.

It's okay, he reassured himself. ' _It'll happen again soon enough._ '

Although hopefully not for reasons that involved the chaos of fixing his hair.

* * *

He had burst out laughing at Cagalli's look of absolute terror beside him as the bouquet just _happened_ to land in her arms. Unable to resist himself, he leaned in, whispering, "So, did you ever find that bridal store? Looks like we'll have to pay them a visit again soon."

He was not at all expecting the punch to his arm that would leave him bruised for the next couple of days, but he didn't mind too much. They had finally met, after all, and while he would have preferred physical memories of _other_ kinds, he wasn't going to push his luck.

Not yet, anyways.

* * *

Eight months after their first _actual_ meeting, Athrun could honestly say he kind of _knew_ things would end up this way. He gazed fondly at the picture of the two of them on his desk. They were both holding their phones in their hands, shy yet genuine smiles practically glowing as they faced the camera. Despite it having been a _horrible_ first date (with the picture being the only positive moment of the entire day), here they were, months later, still happily together.

Of course, however, like every other healthy couple, they weren't without their fights.

He glanced down as his phone began ringing, the caller ID saying, ' _The All Powerful and Forgetful One, Cagalli-sama_ '. _That_ was another story.

Accepting the call, he was about to say 'hello' when he was quite abruptly cut off. "Hello, Lacus? I can't remember, when are you going to the OB/GYN again?"

While they never really got into serious fights, _this_ was a continuing issue. "It's tomorrow," he answered readily, unable to help his manly frown. "And seriously, Cagalli? Again?"

That was definitely a manly frown on his lips. Not a pout, even though he knew Cagalli would poke at him about it for days.

"Sorry, Athrun." Was she laughing? She was definitely laughing. Or trying not to, anyways. He growled his displeasure.

"It's been eight months." He was definitely not whining either.

This time he heard her giggles, loud and clear. "Well, I said sorry," she defended herself. "And besides, maybe I did that on purpose this time."

He rolled his eyes in exasperation, feeling a smile tugging at his lips. Some things never changed.

* * *

I had thought about writing a second part for this even when writing the first part. So this was written pretty much the day after the first part!

(AND SOME OF YOU REVIEWERS PRETTY MUCH GUESSED ATHRUN'S REACTIONS oh you clever people).

I've been thinking too much about this couple and the ending they had in GSD and it makes me want to cry LOL /I'm pathetic. But the more I think about them, the more I _know_ they're meant to be. I haven't watched the Destiny remasters yet because I don't know if I'm ready for all the feels.

Anyways, I'm tempted to continue this with more little drabbles from the same universe (like their first date HAHA), but I'm not going to go full blown story with this. Let me know if you'd like to read more? Just silly little light-hearted things; I'm sure we could all do with a little more of 'em. I'll probably just keep updating this fic with the drabbles that come to mind.

Thanks for reading! 3 And much love goes out to my reviewers and followers/fav'ers from the first chapter: **blackberrymint** , **kalafina** , **Yennefer** , **alyazala** , **Lenora Jime** , **Sybretooth** , **Million Voices, The Man of Destiny, Ghostwriterzala** , and **Oh la la**!

 **Lavellia**.


	3. Chapter 3

**As Fate Would Have It**

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam SEED or Gundam SEED: Destiny, nor am I affiliated with any of its creators and whatnot.

* * *

 **2 WEEKS AFTER KIRA AND LACUS' WEDDING**

He asked her out in the _stupidest_ way possible. Totally uncreative. Absolute fail in terms of heartwarming, too. Her heart did not thump even the slightest nanosecond faster – well, at least she would like to think so.

Glaring down at the text from 'Athren Zala', she snorted at his nerve. Really? Who _texted_ these days to ask someone out? For a _first date_ , no less?

" _Hey, date with me tomorrow?_ "

Five words. Five measly words. The nerve. And what a weirdly worded question.

Cagalli was so tempted to text back 'no' – no capitalization or anything; not even a period to finish off the sentence. Just two letters. It would serve him right.

Let's put this in perspective. It was currently 11:43 PM. The timestamp on the text was 11:38 PM, just a few minutes earlier. ' _What if I had been asleep already?_ ' She tsked at the man's apparent lack of common sense and chivalry.

' _Just because he's really attractive doesn't give him the right to be a jerk_.' She huffed and blew her golden bangs out her eyes before grudgingly typing out a response.

"Fine. When and where?"

Hah. Four words.

Beat that, Athren Zala.

She definitely did _not_ scream in outrage when his response came by a few minutes later.

" _Your place, 11 AM?"_

Technically, not even four complete words. She threw her phone onto the floor as she sulked.

He was _so_ getting it tomorrow morning.

* * *

As her clock hit 10:52, Cagalli there was no need to rush; after all, he was coming to her place. She was wearing her pajama foodie shorts and an old crab t-shirt she had fallen in love with at first sight years ago. Her hair was still bedraggled and she still had toothpaste plastered on her cheeks. ' _He can wait._ '

Turning on the TV, she grabbed a piece of toast off the table and nodded seriously at the election campaigns that were taking place throughout the city. Before she knew it, was already 11:30 and she now had bread crumbs accompanying the mess on her cheeks. Frowning, she double-checked at her phone, which informed her that she had 29 missed calls and 40 unread text messages.

' _Oops._ ' An incoming call from 'Athren Zala' made her nearly drop the phone, but she managed to keep it in her hands. Hastily pressing answer, she was immediately greeted by:

"For Haumea's sa- oh. You picked up this time," he said dryly. She rolled her eyes.

"I'm not the one who's late," she reminded him.

"I'm not the one who forgot to give me your address."

Cagalli paused, thinking back. "Oops."

* * *

By the time he rang her doorbell twelve minutes later, she was still not fully dressed, and she was very sorely tempted to just continue dressing.

Good upbringing prevented her from doing such an uncultured thing, however, and she grudgingly made her way to the door, temporarily forgetting her state of undress.

"Good morni—oh." He was wearing a rather fetching black leather jacket, with a green turtleneck that fit well enough to highlight how small his waist was. Matching black jeans set off the casual look. He appraised her appearance in kind, a slow smirk growing on his lips. "Am I overdressed?"

She was pretty sure the bruise from her spectacular punch two weeks ago was still smarting, so she took extra care to give him a matching one on the other arm. "You're very late," she grumbled, before walking back into her apartment. "Don't get any funny ideas, now."

"Why, I would do no such thing, and I'm not the one who forgot to tell me her address" he replied snippily, in mock offense as he rubbed his arm wearily. As he strolled into her living room, he offered her a large bouquet of flowers rather shyly, a faint blush sharply contrasting the snarkiness that he had displayed mere seconds before. "Here, for you."

"Oh, um, thank you." ' _What a gentleman after all_.' She took it gingerly, not sure how to feel about how extravagant it was; it seemed bigger than her entire upper body. It was beautiful though, with milky pearls decorating the edges, ribbons interweaving between the varieties of flowers, the shades of red and gold complementing one another.

Suddenly, she sneezed once, then twice, then thrice. Repeat. "Oh for the love of-" She peered down at the bouquet warily. Sure enough, there was her deadly enemy. _Chrysanthemums._ Hidden amongst the carnations and forsythias [1], those sneaky little things. Cagalli couldn't help but let out another sneeze, much to her date's alarm, and before he could even react, she ran to the balcony sliding door and threw the bouquet out the window.

"Sorry about that," she said as she strolled back in towards her bedroom, finally noting the expression on his face as he gaped at the bouquet which was now sitting very dejectedly on the balcony. "I'm allergic to certain flowers."

' _Well_ ,' he thought, still rather flabbergasted, ' _at least it only took a $40 bouquet to figure that out_.'

* * *

After nearly another extra hour of arguing ("I like the green one. We'll match." "What on Earth makes you think I _want_ to match?" "You look like a forty year old." "Well, excuse _me_ for being modest." "Wearing baggy jeans is _not_ being modest—oh Haumea, please tell me you're not wearing that top." "What's wrong with crabs?" "I'm begging you, please change." "Excuse me, why are you even in my room when I'm changing?!"), she walked out of her room with a pair of loose-fitting (but not excessively baggy) jeans, and a form-hugging red t-shirt.

"Do you want to go to the mall?"

"No thanks, I don't want to do any shopping," she said offhandedly, disgust warping her features. The mere thought of it was mildly unpleasant.

He puzzled over that, before suggesting an alternative. "Maybe a movie?"

"Is there even anything good out right now?"

"The amusement park?"

"How old are you?"

He pouted childishly. "Cagalli, it's our first date. Where do you want to go, then?"

Her stomach growled loudly as a response. His emerald eyes widened just a tad in surprise before he burst out laughing.

"Never heard a stomach grumble before?" She snapped, blushing furiously, clutching her sides in hopes to hide any future complaints.

"Alright, lunch first it is," he said, the chuckles yet to disappear. He offered her a hand, which she took, ignoring the delighted smile that radiated from the blue-haired man.

* * *

She stared at the restaurant he pulled up to.

"Really?" ' _This does not look like a restaurant that would allow jeans within five meters of its doors…_ '

"The food here is very good," he assured her, before getting out quickly and opening the door for her. Unfortunately, in his haste, he forgot that she was leaning on the door as she gazed out at his restaurant of choice.

Let's just say that it was perhaps the least graceful fall Cagalli Hibiki had ever had.

* * *

"I'm sorry, Cagalli," Athrun said desperately for what was probably the twentieth time, as the blonde continued to ignore him, storming away towards Haumea-knows-where.

He was thinking she would have likely continued to the ends of the Earth if they didn't walk by a certain food stand. She stopped immediately, startling the dark-haired man who was trailing behind her lamely. Letting his eyes follow her line of sight, he found himself face-to-face with a kebab stand.

"Do you want one?" He asked tentatively. He had never had a Doner kebab himself and he had really not expected to eat from a sketchy food stall on their first date.

The drool making its way down her chin and her vacant nod was all he needed as he turned to the vendor, who was rather tall, tanned, and wore sunglasses. His shirt was bright red and yellow and honestly, the man came off as a rather creepy fellow. "Two Doner kebabs, please."

"Right away! That will be $12.30, please!"

Athrun forked out the cash easily, handing the vendor a $20 bill. "Please keep the change," he added charitably.

"Too kind, my boy! As a token of appreciation, I'll give you more of my extra special yogurt sauce!" Athrun watched, intrigued, as a ton of paper-white sauce was dumped on both the smoking kebabs.

A horrified scream beside him made him jump. His date was staring at the vendor in absolute terror; if her scream wasn't so alarming, the expression on her face would have been comical. " _WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?_ "

"Cagalli?" He asked, concerned, about to reach for her in a futile attempt to calm her down.

" _HOW CAN YOU RUIN PERFECTLY GOOD KEBABS LIKE THAT?_ "

The vendor peered at her from over his sunglasses, a frown very apparent on his tanned features. "Excuse me, miss?"

"Everyone knows that _chili_ sauce is the absolute best on Doner kebabs!" She shouted furiously, pointing an accusing finger at the older man.

"Are you crazy, miss? Everyone knows that _yogurt_ brings out the best flavour in kebabs!"

Athrun silently resigned himself to starving for the foreseeable future.

* * *

"I actually liked that shirt," Cagalli mumbled unhappily, as they walked out of the nearby mall. Her lovely red shirt had been stained horrific shades of pink and white due to the unholy matrimony of chili sauce and yogurt. Athrun insisted they go to the nearby mall to buy her something else, and she now donned a light green v-neck shirt with soft white frills (his choosing).

"So did I, but you just had to argue with the food vendor, didn't you?"

She stuck a tongue out at him playfully. "You have to admit, chili sauce is _way_ better on kebabs."

He figured it would probably hurt less if he chose not to respond. His tongue was still burning.

* * *

She crossed her arms impatiently. "Shouldn't you have planned this beforehand, Mr. Weirdly-asks-date-out-the-night-before?"

"Nothing has gone according to plan so far," he replied smoothly, choosing to ignore her nickname for him for the moment. "How about the park? The one with a petting zoo."

Her eyes lit up in excitement. "The one with the lion?"

' _No_ ,' he wanted to say, ' _not the one with the lion you will probably feed me to._ '

But his mouth totally betrayed him as he found himself saying, "Sure. Come on, let's go."

* * *

So it turns out that the lion really did _not_ like Athrun.

And by that, what he really means is that the creature could not resist slobbering all over him.

"Sorry about that, our little lioness can be very hyper sometimes," apologized the zookeeper to a very amused Cagalli and a less amused Athrun, who was currently head to toe wet in lioness drool.

"Such a way he has with ladies, doesn't he?" cooed Cagalli quietly, gazing fondly at the majestic creature.

He found himself admiring the enthusiastic little gestures she made as she fawned over the animal that was bigger than her; the joy was evident in her eyes as they practically glowed.

"—run? Athrun?" He jumped a little at the sound of his name; the full force of her amber eyes were directed up at him, confused. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he replied quickly, flashing her a reassuring smile. Suddenly, as though remembering something, he said, "Wait here just a sec; I'll be right back."

She watched in confusion as he jogged back to his car, but turned her attention back to Rai-chan [2]. He came back a couple minutes later, a Polaroid camera in his hands. "Let's take a photo to commemorate this, shall we?"

"With Rai-chan?"

"With Rai-chan," he echoed. Walking to the assistant at the side, the golden-haired woman watched him as he asked the lady to take a photo of them. Agreeing rather enthusiastically, Athrun slide a hand casually around Cagalli's waist, causing an immensely red blush to paint her cheeks. They both marvelled silently at how easily they fit around each other, and Cagalli could not help but reciprocate his earlier action, letting her arm snake around his waist.

"Smile," he teased, earning him a rather reminiscent stomp on the foot.

"Phones," she declared suddenly. "Make sure our phones are in the shot too."

He didn't need to ask why as he pulled his dark blue phone out of his pocket.

"Ew, Athrun, you're covered in lion slobber."

As they waited for the Polaroid to develop, she whipped out a permanent marker from who knows where, and wrote: _Cagalli and Athren - Orb Central Petting Zoo_ ~ underneath.

He peeked over her shoulder at what she was writing. "You know, that's not how you spell my name."

She turned such an alarming shade of red that he was about to brush it off when she suddenly ripped the photo up and stomped away.

' _Oh brother._ ' Staring sadly at the remains of what would have been their first photo together, he quickly ran after her.

Thank goodness it was still on the camera.

* * *

"Cagalli, I'm hurt. Did you already forget that I asked you before?"

She frowned. "When?"

"At the wedding."

She thought back to it, before blushing furiously (again) and shouted, "THAT IS NOT HOW YOU ASK A GIRL OUT ON A DATE!"

He raised a dark blue eyebrow in confusion. "What exactly are you thinking about? How is 'would you honour me with a date' followed by a rose stolen from your bouquet not how you ask someone out on a date?"

Once again, her cheeks light up like a torch. She vaguely recalled something like that… although the events that had preceded were likely to blame for her lack of recollection.

There was a playful smile skirting the corners of his mouth as he observed the lovely shade of red that even Yzak could not rival. "Or… were you too busy thinking about something else that happened at the wedding…?" He trailed off suggestively.

… just when he didn't think she could turn any redder.

* * *

By the end of the day, Athrun was rather uncertain if there was any hope of a second date. Sure, he had managed to score a photo and she seemed to have enjoyed the petting zoo (if not evidenced by her giggles and silly smiles, then by his significantly lighter wallet), but he had been late, then given her flowers she was allergic to, caused her to fall out of his car unceremoniously, ruined her shirt (although that was admittedly not his fault), and embarrassed her by pointing out she spelled his name wrong.

Which, he had to admit, were fair reasons _not_ to want a second date, but he would be lying if he said he wasn't disappointed.

As he dropped her off at her apartment, she hesitated before exiting the car. "If you ever text me again to confirm a date," she said slowly, her eyes avoiding his, "in five words, at that, I will make sure you make up for it on the date."

He paused, considering her words. So… even if he _did_ text her again asking her out on a date… she would still go out with him? A small smile curled his lips as he leaned in towards her suddenly, brushing a light kiss on her cheeks. "Thank you."

* * *

Despite the rather unconventional first date, he had still been quite the gentleman. He was patient, listened well, generous, and spontaneous; she found herself smiling rather foolishly as she entered her bedroom, fingers lingering over the spot his lips had been just moments ago. Even though their first date may not have gone smoothly, it had been one of the best days out she had had in a while. Not that she would ever admit it to him, of course.

Taking off the shirt that he had chosen and bought for her gently, she folded it up, placing it in her laundry basket with care. Butterflies were fluttering around in her belly and she could feel the complaints of her cheeks from smiling so much. ' _He's not such a bad guy._ '

Later that night, she was just about to crawl into bed when her phone chirped with the arrival of a text message.

" _Date next Saturday? Good night."_

She took back that earlier thought without even a moment's hesitation.

* * *

After their second date, he decided it would be best if he took her threats a little more seriously next time.

* * *

[1] - According to a website I found on the language of flowers, red carnations mean admiration, or 'my heart aches for you' (I'll go with the former), while forsythias mean anticipation, in this case anticipation towards their first date!

[2] - If you katakana lion, it becomes 'raion', which is where the nickname comes from. Not terribly creative, forgive me.

1200 or so words of this was written at 1:00 AM in the morning because I felt like I _really_ needed to write. What is health. I have no absolutely no idea what I am doing with this AU. No character development or whatsoever and OOC-ness ALL THE WAY. This is me getting my stupidity and all the fluff out.

Please let me know if you enjoyed it regardless, and what you'd like to see next! What exactly does Athrun know about Yzak and Shiho? Or what exactly did Athrun do before he supposedly asked her out on a date at the wedding? Or should we see Kira's brotherly protectiveness…

I'm thinking I'd like to keep going with this AU until kids come in to the picture, but not sure if I will still have the inspiration to write for this AU then.

Anyways, thank you for reading! Hope you enjoyed this silly thing. :)

 **Lavellia.**


	4. Chapter 4

**As Fate Would Have It**

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam SEED or Gundam SEED Destiny.

* * *

AKA: Four times Cagalli fudged up majorly, and the one time she kind of did, but not really.

I imagined Kira and Lacus' wedding to be in mid-June… and the snippets at the end of the beginning chapters (8 months later) would be the next February (just after Lacus' birthday). So essentially, this would be Athrun and Cagalli's first birthday celebration! (I'm skipping the chapter where they actually start dating, SO THIS SERIES IS BY NO MEANS IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER).

This is also my gift for Athrun's birthday. Athrun's part (four times he fudged up, and one time he didn't) is half-written already and much more drabble-like than this monster I've written. I really should be writing other things (like essays and applications) BUT here I am.

 **Warning** : The following chapter contains loads of fluff and silly things, no character development whatsoever. Please read at your own risk.

* * *

 **One.**

Grinning happily at her handiwork, she couldn't help but feel a sense of pride as she admired the details in her latest creation. Her friends and family could lament over her "lack of artistic sense and abilities" all they wanted, but she was an architect! A moderately successful one, at that, considering she had graduated just two years ago, and she was already employed at one of the top firms in Orb.

Cagalli gazed down at the gift she was preparing for her boyfriend. The wooden picture frame was elaborately carved, careful roses and leaves adorning the corners; her fingers suffered, but there was no denying it was well done. She knew _exactly_ which photo she wanted within the picture frame, and she giggled as she ran into her room for the extra copy of the photo she had lying around somewhere.

There was no helping the faint blush that settled on her cheeks as she stared down at the photo. Their first date. Even now, Athrun mockingly lamented the expensive bouquet she had so unceremoniously chucked out of her apartment, and Cagalli made sure he never forgot about him unceremoniously dumping her on her derriere when he _tried_ to be a gentleman.

They had been dating for nearly four months at this point. Cagalli had never prepared a gift for another man (except for her brother and father), and concern about her gift had plagued her. ' _Is it too girly? Too cliché?_ ' She shook her head. There were only four days left, there was no time to doubt her choices now.

Settling back on her living room couch with the photo in her hands, she flipped the wooden frame over and stopped. Horror twisted her expression as she noticed there was something _very_ wrong.

She gulped, hoping that her fears were not true, but sure enough, the photo frame she had spent _hours_ carving was, well… too small.

Mere moments later, the frame found itself furiously chucked at the wall, bouncing off (thus leaving a rather alarming scratch on the wall), and skidding across the floor to land right next to the couch, where the poor frame would stay, dejected, for the next couple of days.

* * *

 **Two.**

With only three days left, Cagalli found herself panicking. She had tried to see if she could cut the photo in a way that it would fit, but no matter how she tried to crop it, there was always something that had to be cut off in the photo and it would really look too strange: Athrun would be missing an ear with a magical hand floating somewhere, or she would only have half a body. After giving up, she had been too disheartened to give it another go.

She decided that maybe she would get him a pet. He seemed to like animals, particularly small ones, considering the Haro and Tori he made for his best friend's wedding. Maybe she could get him a lizard! Or a snake! Those were cool animals. _Much_ more interesting than cats, less work than dogs… she marvelled at her own creativity.

After dodging her boyfriend's request to have lunch together ("Can we do tomorrow instead?" "Why not today?" "Why can't you just take no for an answer?" "Did you forget to wear underwe—" "If you even _dare_ finish that sentence, Zala…" "Tomorrow it is, then."), she spent her lunch break at the local pet store, biting her lip in concentration as she debated over what to get her loving boyfriend.

"A snake," she decided firmly as her heart was won over by a beautiful, orange corn snake. "Alright, Aegis, you're coming home with me."

She went back after work to pick up the pet and the proper tank and other necessities, and was humming cheerfully on her way home, satisfied that she had chosen such a lovely gift for her boyfriend. When she got home, she was in the mood for a long bath; she deserved it after such a brilliant idea and all that stressing out. Not bothering to read the pet guide that had come with Aegis, she set up the tank quickly and put him in before hurriedly going for the bath she had been craving, carelessly forgetting to secure the top of the tank.

When she came back out, Aegis was nowhere to be seen.

A sigh of despair followed a rather gnarly groan, and her palm found its way to her face.

* * *

 **Three.**

"Are you okay?" Athrun asked the blonde, concern quickly making its way over his features. "What happened to your hands?"

"It's nothing," she assured him quickly. Perhaps a little too quickly, as suspicion joined the concern in his emerald eyes. "Just work problems." ' _That, and the fact I don't have a present for you yet, AND there's a snake somewhere in my apartment that I can't find…_ '

A sigh of relief escaped her lips when he nodded slowly, apparently deciding to let the matter go for now. "Anyways, do you have any plans on Friday?"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Why?"

He rolled his eyes. "I want to spend time with my girlfriend. Is that a crime?"

"But Dearka and Lacus are throwing you a surprise birthd— shit." ' _Oh kebabs on a stick.'_

"… they're doing what?"

* * *

 **Four.**

"Lacus, I'm so sorry, I just told Athrun about the party you guys were throwing him. I totally forgot it was a surprise, but maybe we should call the zoo back and step it up—"

"No." A flat masculine voice interrupted her rambling and she nearly dropped her phone in her surprise. "I appreciate the effort, but I do _not_ want to deal with a mini-zoo on my birthday."

She froze. That was _definitely_ not Lacus. "I'm so sorry," she whispered, mentally berating herself for slipping up _again_. And two days before his birthday. They had gone almost two months without her accidentally misdialing numbers. Almost.

"I'll go to the party, but for Haumea's sake, please don't try any harder." With that, he hung up, and Cagalli bit her lip in worry.

Carefully dialing Lacus' number, she decided maybe they needed to change their plans.

* * *

 **Five.**

Athrun was not looking forward to the party. Every single year, they managed to make a mess of his apartment, or enough of a public spectacle he felt too embarrassed to leave his room. A zoo would have made everything so much worse.

In truth, he had forgotten it was his birthday until his girlfriend let it slip. He never really cared for his birthdays (too busy, other things to worry about) and that was likely the only reason his friends always managed to throw him a surprise one… until this year.

Cagalli hadn't called since two days ago, after she had misdialed him again. He wasn't really mad at her, per se, but perhaps he overreacted. He sighed as he reached his apartment. His 24th birthday was going just spectacular. Bracing himself for the confetti and flashing lights and rowdy music, he opened the door warily.

There was nothing. His apartment was just as clean as he had left it this morning. No hidden Dearka with his stupid masks, no Lacus with too many sparkles and a smile wider than her own face. Nothing. His apartment was dark and empty, and as bad as he felt, he couldn't help but let out a deep sigh of relief.

As he put his bag and jacket away, he noticed a card sitting on his kitchen table. Glancing down at it curiously, he read it briefly. Without even thinking twice, he dashed out of his apartment, car keys at the ready.

When he reached her apartment door, he couldn't help but notice there was a faint beeping sound coming from within, and a rather curious smell. His eagerness had somewhat faded into concern and he quickly knocked on her door, hoping that everything was alright.

His only response at first was a long train of profanity. Waiting patiently, he was finally rewarded with a rather haggard-looking Cagalli, the smell of burnt cooking, and the annoying sound of the smoke detector.

"Um. I got your note," he greeted sheepishly.

She sent him a deadly glare before reminding herself that it was _his_ birthday.

"Sorry," she answered tersely. "I'm… having some difficulties at the moment."

He chose not to comment but simply followed her inside.

"Happy… er… birthday?" She offered awkwardly, as they stood at her kitchen table. Everything was going so well until she fell asleep as she was waiting for the cake to finish baking. The frantic and persistent beeping of her smoke detector woke her up just seconds before she heard the knocking at her door.

After opening the windows in the unit, Athrun managed to convince the alarm to shut up and Cagalli had taken the cake out, which was not at all the lovely shade of yellow she was hoping it would be.

To make things worse, the expression on Athrun's face was unreadable; totally blank. He was staring down at the blackened cake, and Cagalli cringed. "I'm so sorry, this is probably not at all what you were hoping fo—"

His loud laughter cut into her apology, and before she could register what was happening, he had wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug, burying his face and laughter in her shoulder. Taken by surprise, she subconsciously returned the hug, arms pulling him even closer to her.

After the call two days ago, she was worried that he was _really_ mad at her; she wouldn't have blamed him. She ruined the surprise party, misdialed his number, failed to get him a present, and burnt the cake that was meant for him. But the hug said everything.

"I'm sorry," she whispered into his ear, once his laughs subsided. "I really didn't mean to make you mad—"

"It's okay. I'm sorry, too," he replied, pressing his lips firmly on the top of her head before pulling away and meeting her worried gaze.

"I was going to have the cake and dinner all ready, but I fell asleep and then now nothing is ready and you're already here—"

Interrupting her once again, he tilted his head down and kissed her on the lips.

After a few minutes, she pulled away, cheeks flushed and eyes only the slightest bit teary. "Athrun—"

"I love you," he breathed, a goofy smile stretching his face. "This is probably the best birthday I've ever had."

She blushed, her face turning even redder, and she swatted at him playfully.

"Let's get takeout," he suggested, his hand finding hers and locking them together tightly. "Then we can go rescue that poor cake."

She nodded, struggling not to cry at that honest expression on his face that radiated pure bliss and love. "Happy birthday, Athrun."

* * *

 **BONUS!** Post-Athrun's birthday.

 **Six (AKA the one where Cagalli's fudge up #2 comes back).**

Athrun groaned as he felt a weird and cold sensation on his leg. "Cagalli, stop doing that…"

She stirred but did not stop. He opened his eyes blearily, gazing at the woman beside him. She was tucked underneath his chin and curled up against his chest, but she was unmoving apart from the soft rise and fall of her breathing.

As his senses woke up, he realized the weird sensation was still there. Throwing the blanket off of the both of them, he sat up in alarm as he noticed a snake.

A snake. In their bed. On his leg. Making its way up north on his body.

He nudged Cagalli gently. Once. Twice. "Mmmm?"

"Cagalli, dear, can you please tell me why there is a snake in our bed?"

The blonde was silent for a couple of minutes as the question registered in her still sleepy mind, but when she finally understood the question, she sat up in surprise. "Aegis!"

Athrun fought the urge to swear, lest he startle the snake that was too close to particular parts of the blue-haired man's body for his liking.

* * *

 **Seven.**

Athrun was yawning as he reached his apartment. He was reluctant to leave the warmth of his girlfriend's bed – they had snuggled back under the covers after putting Aegis back in his tank (and securing the top this time), but he really need to get a change of clothes if he was going to stay over at Cagalli's, and he did need to at least get his laptop so he could quickly finish typing off some emails that needed to be sent before Monday.

Fumbling with the keys, he finally managed to open his door when suddenly, he was greeted with confetti, sparkles, and _was that a pig in his apartment?_

"SURPRISE!"

Athrun resisted a groan as he spotted a certain blonde with glimmering and mischievous amber eyes.

* * *

 **Eight.**

The next time Cagalli visited him at the office, she couldn't help but notice a certain wooden frame sitting beside his laptop. She threw him a reproachful glare before he pulled her in for a kiss that silently reaffirmed what was etched so honestly and adoringly at the bottom of the frame.

' _I love you._ '

* * *

Fluff. Clichéd fluff.

Happy birthday, Athrun Zala! :')

Thanks for reading, and I hope y'all read lots and lots of AsuCaga in celebration of this special day.

 **Lavellia.**


End file.
